Blame It On The Blonde
by JPsmiles
Summary: Face is injured one morning...who did it?
1. Chapter 1

**Note: I wrote this story for another fandom (Hawaii Five-0) and thought it might be fun to see if it could be adapted to The A-Team…so here we go! Hope it works…fingers crossed!**

* * *

Face caught a brief glimpse of the culprit, but it was too late.

Before he could stop it, his body was up in the air. It was the down part, however, that did the damage. His head smacked the corner of the end table with a resounding thud. And then there was the audible snap of bones and accompanying searing pain as he landed wrong on the arm he had outstretched to catch himself.

He lay on the floor of the condo trying to focus on breathing through the agony. His vision was beginning to blur as the pounding in his head steadily increased. Reaching up with his good arm he fumbled for the phone.

He just had time to press the buttons and mumble out a weak, "Lieutenant Peck…need help," before his lights went out completely.

* * *

"Where the hell is he?" Hannibal fumed, more out of worry than anger. "He's more than an hour late."

Murdock and B.A. remained silent watching as their leader paced back and forth across the room. Face was rarely ever late, and when he was he always called in first.

"And he's not picking up the damn phone. That does it…I'm going over there."

The teammates shared a look as Hannibal grabbed for his keys and made a bee-line for the door.

"It's about time," Murdock sighed. "He was wearing down the floor."

"And wearing on my nerves," B.A. added. "I just hope the Faceman's alright."

* * *

Hannibal's heart started to beat faster as he rounded the corner and saw two patrol cars and an ambulance in front of the condo. As his heart sped up so did his new truck, so much so that he had to screech to a halt behind one of the cruisers.

Ever since Face had been shot in the Italian restaurant less than a year earlier the colonel had felt extra protective over his men…especially Face. And though it resulted in a full pardon at the insistence of Attorney General Liepster and Hannibal being appointed the head of his own task force in DC, it had been too close of a call and shook them all to the core.

Face had started dating Carla right after they were no longer working for Stockwell, much to the General's chagrin. But Stockwell had no say in the matter anymore and now that they were no longer at his mercy, they were actually getting along and consulted with him frequently on cases.

Carla had taken her five year old daughter to Disney Land and Face was house sitting for her. It was her residence Hannibal was walking toward when a seemingly unconscious Face was being wheeled out on a gurney.

"How is he, Joe?" Hannibal asked the familiar paramedic.

It was still hard for Hannibal to get used to being himself and not having to use an alias or put an act on front of the world. Before the pardon, the A-Team were infamous…after the pardon they were just plain famous. Everybody knew who they were after Vietnam; the difference now was that they knew the truth about the four men and as a result they were widely respected.

"He's got a nasty bump on his head, colonel, and his arm is broken in at least a couple of places. We're taking him over to DC General."

"Has he said anything?"

"He woke briefly and mumbled something that sounded like 'stupid blonde'," the young EMT answered. "But he was pretty out of it."

Hannibal furrowed his brow. "Can I have a minute with him?" Joe nodded and Hannibal stepped closer to the gurney. "Face…can you hear me, kid?"

Face heard his colonel's voice through the intense fog. He tried to open his eyes, but quickly slammed them shut as the light sent daggers through his skull.

Hannibal saw Face's eyes flutter briefly and heard a low moan escape from his lips.

"That's okay, kid. Just rest easy." It was unnerving to see the con-man so still and so quiet; it reminded him all too well of those days in the hospital after the shooting. He took hold of Face's hand and squeezed. "We can talk later."

Squeezing the hand back weakly Face thought, 'we can talk, but there's no way in hell that I'm gonna tell you what happened.'

TBC…


	2. Chapter 2

Hannibal waited for the ambulance to go off, sirens blaring, before heading inside to check on the progress of the investigation.

"What've we got?"

"No signs of forced entry," answered the female officer. "But the child's bedroom looks as if it's been tossed."

Hannibal peeked his head inside the room and then back out. "Could be…but then again, my bedroom as a kid always looked that way. Still does, in fact."

The officer smiled and teased, "typical man."

Hannibal winked. "I'm anything but typical…I can assure you of that."

After making sure that all the correct steps were being taken to collect evidence, he headed back to his truck to call the others and to break several laws speeding to the hospital.

* * *

The trio sat waiting anxiously for news on Face.

Actually, Murdock and B.A. sat waiting, while Hannibal was back to pacing. It was reminiscent of the morning's scene, but this time they knew for sure that Face had been hurt.

But when the doctor appeared all three were on their feet. "How is he?" they asked in unison.

"Lieutenant Peck has a concussion and a badly broken arm. The arm will require surgery…some pins and screws. But due to the severity of the head injury, we're going to wait until tomorrow to schedule the operation." The physician motioned for them to follow him. "He's awake if you'd like to see him. I should warn you that's he's in a considerable amount of discomfort and we can only give him so much relief due to the concussion. "

"Wonderful," B.A. groaned. "That's going to make for one extra cranky Face."

"And our regularly cranky B.A. is cranky enough for all of us," Murdock added lightly.

Joining in, Hannibal joked, "Maybe we should stop at the gift shop for some ear plugs…I feel a whine-a-thon coming."

But the group sobered immediately when they stood by the bedside of their too pale teammate.

Face's eyes were closed; his forehead creased in pain. He heard the footsteps and recognized them as belonging to his friends, but couldn't muster up the strength to open his eyes.

"You think he's sleeping?" Murdock whispered.

"I dunno…maybe," B.A. whispered back.

"_He_ can hear you," Face slurred. "And unfortunately _he's_ awake."

"How you feelin', man?" B.A. said softly.

"Been better," came the weak reply. It was about as far away as you could get from a usual exaggerated Face whine and the others almost didn't know what to do with themselves.

"What happened, kid?" Hannibal asked at last. "Who did this to you?"

Face cracked two pain-filled blue eyes open and met Hannibal's inquisitive ones just for a second. "It was a blonde…she had blonde hair."

Once more they spoke together. "She?"

"Great…in stereo. Yes…she."

"Can you remember anything else?"

"Can barely remember my name right now…hurts…m'tired."

The injured man was shaking slightly, and Hannibal pulled the sheet up a little higher. "Go to sleep…we'll be back later."

Face felt guilty as the team walked away; he hadn't lied to them…he wouldn't do that. But he was all too aware that he hadn't told them the truth either.

* * *

"A blonde female…well that describes about a million of the DC residents."

"B.A.'s right. Has Face mentioned having trouble with Carla lately?"

Murdock shook his head. "No…and yesterday I joked to him that 'woman kill me…why die?'…his response was that 'Carla could be worth dying over '."

"Wow…now that's sayin' something," B.A. mumbled. "Plus Carla ain't in town."

"Could it have been a random break in?" Murdock suggested.

"Doubt it. There were no signs of forced entry. Plus, what thief in their right mind would break into an apartment at that time of day when most people are still home or on their way out to work for the day?" Hannibal pointed out. "So that means that our blonde friend was most likely an invited guest gone wrong."

B.A.'s eyebrows rose. "You think he foolin' around?"

"He didn't seem eager to talk about it," Murdock added reluctantly. "It would explain his behavior."

Hannibal nodded his agreement. "But so could the concussion. We shouldn't jump to any conclusions…we owe it to Face to give him the chance to explain."

But something told them that whatever the explanation was, things were bound to get interesting.

TBC…


	3. Chapter 3

It was clear upon their return that they would not be getting any answers out of Face that night.

The blonde man drifted in and out of consciousness as his teammates took turns keeping watch over him. When he was asleep he was restless and would mumble incoherently. And when he was awake, the pain and dizziness was so bad that all he could do was grit his teeth and pray for it to end.

Shortly before visiting hours were over Hannibal sat at his lieutenant's side. He could tell that Face was trying to hold it all in and put on a brave front, but every now and then a heart wrenching groan or a whimper would escape.

"Face…we know you're hurting…you don't have to be strong for us, kid."

"Says a certain colonel who used to thrive on dishing pain out." It was the first sentence he had put together in hours and it was enough to leave him breathless.

Hannibal couldn't help but chuckle. "Well…you know what they say…no pain no gain."

"I say…no pain…my gain," Face joked with a fraction of his usual sarcasm, but it cost him. The room which had already been rocking was now also rolling around him. "Ugh," he moaned.

"Kid?"

But there was no answer as Face was out once more.

* * *

Morning brought an exhausted lieutenant waiting to be prepped for surgery. Upon the expected arrival of Hannibal, Murdock and B.A, he forced a smile.

"Hey."

Hannibal pulled up a chair next to the bed and the others followed suit. "How're you feeling?"

Face sighed and said faintly, "For the first time in my life I'm looking forward to going under the knife so they can knock me out and put me out of my misery."

"That good, huh?" Murdock teased.

"Mmmhmm," he mumbled before lapsing into silence and listening to the familiar and comforting banter between his friends. After some time passed he said, "Hey…you guys don't have to stay. I'm sure you've got a case or something."

"Right now _you_ are our case," B.A. replied with genuine concern.

Face felt a stab of guilt in his gut.

"Yeah, muchacho, we're gonna find the woman who did this to you."

And Murdock just twisted the knife deeper. Before he could say anything more, a doctor came in with a nurse. 'Saved by the surgeon,' Face thought.

After describing the procedure in a little more detail than any of them wanted to know, the nurse explained that she was going to start an IV which she promised would begin to 'relax' him shortly.

"Fabulous…proceed to poke away." While Face focused on the needle that was being inserted into his vein he missed what was going on around him.

The remaining members of The A-Team were off to the side having a conversation completely using eye, head and hand movements. Each one was trying to avoid being the one to broach what was sure to be an uncomfortable topic with Face.

As the nurse left and they were alone once more, it was Murdock who stepped up to the plate first. "So…buddy…did you remember anything else since yesterday?"

"Yeah," Face snorted. "I remember how much concussions stink."

Next it was B.A.'s turn. "Can you tell us anything else about your attacker, man?"

Face bit at his lip not knowing what to say; he could…but he sure as hell didn't want to.

Shoving his hands into his pockets, Hannibal took a deep breath and went for it. "Look, kid…was it some woman you met and…you know…took home?"

"Took home for what?" Face asked, already starting to feel a bit fuzzy from the drugs.

"For you know…um…for the evening," Hannibal blushed.

"What? No…you know I'm with Carla." Face, too, turned a distinct shade of pink.

"Yeah…I know…but it would explain some things that aren't adding up."

Murdock jumped back in to help out a floundering Hannibal. "Like your reluctance to tell us about it."

Face went from pink to red. "How can you even be asking me this?"

The room became silent as an awkwardness hung in the air. Whether it was the increasing effects of the drugs or the realization that the truth couldn't be worse than what his friends were thinking, he blurted out, "38-18-36." When they looked at him like he was insane, Face added. "Her measurements…those are her measurements."

Even though Face was an expert at women's figures, the trio was sure that it was the medication speaking. But Murdock humored him and said, "a woman with those measurements wouldn't be able to stand up…that's impossible."

Face's eyes were getting glassy and his speech slightly garbled. "Not if you're eleven inches tall and made of plastic."

Murdock covered his mouth moments later as the light bulb went off in his head. It took Hannibal and B.A. a bit longer to catch on, but when they did it was with great hilarity.

B.A. was the first to lose control and break up. "Faceman…done in by a Barbie Doll," he said between high-pitched giggles.

"Wonder which one it was?" Hannibal laughed.

"Felony Barbie?" Murdock offered and then doubled over.

"Malibu Barbie...I stepped on Carla's daughter's Malibu Barbie doll and my feet went out on me," Face murmured and then instantly regretted it as it only added fuel to the laughter. The irony hadn't been lost on him either that a doll representing the very place he longed to live in had taken revenge on him.

"Hey…man about to be sliced into and screwed together …wanna put a lid on it?"

"Oh…c'mon, man…lighten up," B.A. said.

"Yeah…karma's a real…"

"Barbie," Murdock cut off their colonel as they continued to find amusement in Face's situation.

Face was trying, but it was impossible to find anything amusing when he was feeling so lousy. His head and arm still ached mercilessly and he was feeling lightheaded and sick from the newly added medications. Plus, the cocktail coursing through his veins was simultaneously lowering his inhibitions, while also heightening his emotions.

It came out as almost a strangled sob, "S'not very funny…hurts." But he didn't know what hurt more…his injuries or their teasing. "It's why...didn't tell you...sooner."

Hannibal, Murdock and B.A. instantly stopped and the smiles faded away. It was rare to hear such a desolate tone come out of the usually confident mouth of the con-man.

They had gone too far…too soon.

TBC…

Note: So...did you guess it? This story was born when I tripped over my daughter's Barbie…I, however, was luckier than Face. Sorry if you expected something more sinister and are disappointed...but have no fear...more drama to come!


	4. Chapter 4

Face had a rough time coming out of the anesthesia. He woke in the recovery room unsure of where he was or what had happened. He wondered where the rest of the team was and if they were okay. Needing to get some answers he attempted to get up.

"Sir, calm down...you must stay still," a voice that belonged to a blurry figure said.

But that only agitated Face more. "Hannibal?" he questioned while pushing against the two arms that were now attempting to hold him down.

"Sir...you're in the recovery room...you just had surgery."

"Hannibal…Murdock...B.A. …need find them."

Still pumped full of pain medication he was feeling no pain, but was delirious and uncomprehending. The nurse was shouting out for help now, as Face was starting to get the upper hand and was nearly in a seated position.

There were more voices and more hands and Face began to panic. "Get away from me...lemme go." He began to thrash against the restraint while jostling his injured arm in the process.

"Somebody go get Colonel Smith...now!" the doctor ordered.

* * *

Hannibal, Murdock and B.A. remained in Face's hospital room after they had come to take him to the operating room. Before they had a chance to apologize the drugs had him too far gone and they were left to ponder the weight of their actions.

"Way to kick a man when he's down," Hannibal said angrily.

"Some friends we are," B.A. muttered.

But it was Murdock who summed it up best. "Face can take a joke and laugh at himself...but there's nothing funny about having a wound and your friends rubbing salt in it before it has a chance to start healing."

The procedure took longer than was expected and when the surgeon came to see them over four hours later he explained that the breaks were more complicated than the x-rays had shown. He said that it would take some time for him to regain consciousness and that they should probably go home, get some rest, and return in the morning.

Though they didn't want to, Hannibal persuaded the others to take off, promising to call if there was any change. He was just about to doze off in his chair a couple of hours later when an anxious nurse hustled inside the room to get him.

The site of Face struggling and calling out his name brought rare tears to his eyes.

"Hannibal...where are you?...help me."

"Face...I'm right here," he said hustling over to the bedside.

"You...you okay? Murdock? B.A.?" Face's eyes were wild and unfocused.

"Everybody is just fine, son."

Seeing that the detective was calming down, the nurses and doctors slowly began to back off and allow Hannibal to take over completely.

"Hannibal? What...what happened?"

The colonel settled for keeping it simple. "You're in the hospital. You had a little accident and hurt your arm...but the doc patched you up."

He was becoming aware of all the work done on his arm as the effects of the drugs were starting to dissipate. "S'why it hurts, huh?"

Face reached out with his good arm and Hannibal took hold of the quivering hand. "Yeah...but you're gonna be just fine...just hang in there."

"Why can't I remember?"

Hannibal swallowed hard knowing that when his friend did remember he wouldn't be so anxious to have him around. "Don't force it...you had a concussion too."

"Don't feel so good," he moaned right before his eyes rolled back into his head.

Hannibal kept hold of the limp hand and hung his head. "Oh, kid...I'm sorry."

* * *

The next time Face woke he was alone.

As he looked down at his bandaged arm the memories hit him all at once and hard. He remembered falling…and pain…lots of pain.

He also remembered the team…and when he told them the truth. Well, actually, all he really remembered clearly was them laughing at him. Not that he could really blame them; the whole situation was quite silly. But his injury was no laughing matter. He knew with time would be able to laugh about it too, but right now it was all too raw and the hurt too fresh.

Face was distracted from his thoughts by a tall attractive woman with long blonde hair. "Hi…I'll be the nurse taking care of you. My name is Barbara. But most people call me…,"

"Don't say it," Face begged.

"Barbie," she concluded.

Letting out a long exasperated sigh, Face finally smiled. "Hi Barbie…I have a bone to pick with you."

The nurse's quizzical look was interrupted by the sound of gunfire and a piercing scream.

TBC…


	5. Chapter 5

The nurse's quizzical look was interrupted by the sound of gunfire and a piercing scream.

"Damn…I can't even recover in peace," Face groaned. He looked to the shell-shocked nurse. "Barbie…I need you to help me. I need to see what's going on."

There was yelling coming from the hall, but Face couldn't quite make it out. It didn't help that as soon as Barbie assisted him in sitting up his world swam alarmingly and he almost fell backwards. "Whoa," he groaned as the nurse held him steady. "Thanks…now help me up."

Together the pair shuffled toward the door as the voice escalated. A winded Face leaned heavily against the wall next to the door and motioned for Barbie to stay back. Peeking his head out slightly, he saw an irate man holding a gun to the head of a petrified doctor.

"You let her die…you let her die," the gunman kept repeating.

"Phone," Face mouthed and pointed to the table next to the nurse. Barbie ran over with the phone pulling the cord as far as it would go and he wasted no time in dialing.

"Hannibal," he whispered. "Shots fired...hostage situation...and no I'm not hallucinating." Although he _was_ beginning to see stars from the increasing pressure in his skull and throbbing in his arm.

Hannibal replied with a sarcastic yet worried, "I just left the hospital and you already managed to get into trouble."

"Yeah…you must be rubbing off on me."

"I'll be there in ten and will call Murdock and B.A...sit tight."

Face knew he couldn't just 'sit tight' when a man's life hung in the balance. "Too late...I'm already standing...well leaning...just hurry up."

Barbie could see that her patient was starting to fade. "You should be back in bed."

"I _should_ be at a country club," Face mumbled and then flashed a grin and said with as much conviction as he could, "I'll take an extra long nap later...first I've got to do something."

"What are you going to do, lieutenant?"

"Beyond trying not to pass out...I haven't a clue," he admitted. "And please, call me Face."

"Okay, Face," she smiled. "What can I do?"

"Stay in this room...and pray."

Face glanced back out the door to see much the same scene: a bunch of medical professionals on the floor while a disturbed man held the doctor by his throat.

"My wife," he cried, "you promised she would make it...and she died...and it's all your fault."

Face's gut clenched at the sound of desperation and utter despair. He knew what he had to do, but just hoped he had the strength to pull it off. Taking a deep breath he raised his one good arm and stepped out into the hall. "Hey," he called out.

"Stay...stay back...or I'll shoot...I swear it...I'll shoot!"

Face inched forward ever so slowly. "Hey, man...I feel you. My wife...she and I were in an accident...she didn't pull through."

The gunman's eyes opened wide. 'That…that's what happened to me and my wife."

'Lucky guess,' the con-man thought. He kept moving forward, fueled solely by adrenaline. "And now I'm all alone."

Nobody said a word as most of the people on the floor were aware of Face's position with the A-Team and the new task force...including the doctor being held captive.

"I...I can't go on without her...it hurts too bad."

Face tried to look the man in the eye, even though it was getting hard to focus. "I know...I understand." He knew he had to gain and keep the man's trust. "Sometimes it hurts so bad...it's hard to breathe." Ironically, that was exactly how he was feeling in the moment due to his injuries.

"It isn't fair."

"No, it isn't fair…but killing somebody else isn't going to bring her back." It was obvious that this wasn't a bad guy or a criminal, just a grieving husband. "Why don't you let the doctor go and we can talk this out."

Out of the corner of his eye, Face could see Hannibal through the stairwell glass door directly behind the attacker.

The grip tightened on the doctor's neck causing him to gasp out in pain. "No…no…he has to pay."

Face nodded ever so slightly knowing that Hannibal would pick up on it and counted to three in his head.

Hannibal saw Face nod and counted to three in his head.

_One…two…three!_

Hannibal pushed the door into the gunman which sent him and his hostage sailing forward and causing the gun to fly into the air.

Face simultaneously lunged forward and jumped onto the perpetrator who was now sprawled out face down. "You okay?" he asked the doctor that was on the floor next to them.

"Yeah...thanks to you," the physician choked out while rubbing at his abused throat.

Hannibal retrieved the gun and hustled over to his partner who was practically lying on top of his captive. 'You alright?"

"Go easy on him," Face said breathlessly, ignoring the question. "He's hurting."

"Looks like you are too, kid." Hannibal helped him slide over and took charge of the restraining and handcuffing duties before handing the near catatonic prisoner over to a waiting officer.

Face's skin was a sickly shade of gray and his hospital gown clung to his sweat soaked body. He maneuvered over to the wall pushing off with his functioning arm and collapsed against it. He groaned and closed his eyes.

"Talk to me, man," Hannibal ordered while gently shaking Face's thigh.

"About what?" he muttered.

"About the weather," the colonel rolled his eyes. "About how you're feeling."

"How do I look?"

"Maybe we should talk about the weather."

"That good, huh?"

"You think you can walk?"

Face's eyes snapped open. "Not in this thing…too much ventilation if you get my drift."

"It's more like a draft."

'You're a funny guy, colonel." But Face wasn't laughing; he wanted nothing more than to roll over and cry he was so tired and miserable. But his body was too exhausted to put the effort into producing tears.

The elevator doors opened and Murdock and B.A. came running out. "Face…you okay?"

He forced a smile. "Great…for a half-naked guy on a hospital floor."

It took a little doing, but soon they had Face upright. His good arm was draped around Hannibal's waist, Murdock and B.A. walked behind to provide cover.

"Nice view," Murdock teased.

"Your cheeks are blushing," Hannibal said.

"Not the ones I'm looking at," Murdock added as B.A. punched him playfully in the shoulder with a "shut up, fool".

"I hate my life," Face moaned.

The quartet was almost to the room when his nurse stepped outside. "Oh Face…I was so worried. Let's get you in bed. I called the doctor and he's on his way."

"Thanks, Barbie," Face grinned weakly, but genuinely.

"Barbie!" the others exclaimed.

"Not a word," the lieutenant warned, pulling away from Hannibal and turning too quickly. His vision began to black out.

Seeing Face start to falter Barbie rushed forward…unfortunately at the same time that Face stumbled in her direction. His and her legs intertwined and, once again, Templeton Peck found himself in the air and tripping over a Barbie.

This time however, Hannibal was there to catch him.

TBC…one part to go!


	6. Chapter 6

Face expected to hit the floor and braced himself for the impact…but it never came. Instead he found himself lying in Hannibal's arms and hearing the familiar voice talking softly.

After that it was all a dizzying blur as he lingered at the brink of consciousness while he was lifted onto a gurney and whisked away from his friends. There were bright lights and various medical personnel floating around and poking and prodding at him.

The last thing he remembered was a needle being inserted into his arm and the blissful feeling of floating away from the pain.

* * *

The A-Team sat, yet again, by Face's bedside. Another trip to the OR was required to repair the additional damage his heroics cost his arm. But he was taking an alarmingly long time to come out from under the anesthesia and although the doctor wasn't concerned, Hannibal was.

"C'mon, kid…time to wake up."

Face's body shifted slightly. "Why?' he whispered.

Hannibal looked at Murdock and B.A. with relief before answering, "Because you've been sleeping for too long."

"Not really up to scamming right now," he replied weakly, his eyelids not budging from their closed position.

Hannibal smiled. "The only thing I want from you is two open eyes…think you can handle that?"

His eyelids slowly blinked open as he adjusted to the light. "Satisfied?"

"Good to have you back, pal," Murdock beamed.

Face coughed trying to clear the roughness out of his throat. "M'not so sure…you all gonna laugh at me again?"

Murdock handed over a glass of water before looking away sheepishly; Hannibal and B.A. followed suit.

"I can get a lot of things…but this is the first time I've been able to get you all to be quiet at once," Face quipped.

"We really are sorry, muchacho," Murdock apologized.

"Yeah," B.A. agreed. "We was way out of line."

Hannibal, who had yet to resume eye contact, was fiddling with a cigar he knew he couldn't light. "I'm sorry," he mumbled.

"What was that, Hannibal? I couldn't quite hear you with all the beeping of these machines and such."

Hannibal glared. "I'm sorry," he said louder.

"Wasn't very sincere," Face pouted.

"You want sincere? I _sincerely_ wish you would have listened to me when I told you to stay put and not go after the gunman without waiting for back-up."

"Welcome to my world, Colonel 'through-the-front-door' Smith," Face retorted hotly causing Murdock and B.A. to smirk. Then suddenly all the color drained from his face and he let out a gasp.

"Face!" Hannibal jumped up. "You okay?"

"Does it look like I'm okay?" he panted.

"Just breathe, kid," Hannibal took hold of his good hand. "Just breathe."

It took a few moments for Face to get his breath back and for his color to return to normal. "Thanks…m'okay…just a spasm."

"I really am sorry, kid," Hannibal finally admitted. "You were hurt and we shouldn't have taken it so lightly."

"Nah…I'm just messing with you. I'm sorry too…I overreacted. I wasn't thinking straight with all the drugs."

"So are we all friends again?" Murdock asked hopefully.

"No," Face shook his blonde head, relishing the reaction it got before adding with a wide grin, "we're more that that…we're family."

Epilogue

They could hear a familiar loud and boisterous voice approaching.

"It might just be the lingering drugs in my system," Face said, "or then again it could really be…"

"Hey…you guys miss me?" came the cheery greeting.

"Frankie!" they all welcomed the toothy-grinned man entered the room carrying a plastic bag.

"I just got on a movie set here in DC and heard my favorite ex-teammate was in the hospital. I wanted to make sure you're doing okay?"

"Thanks…much better," Face smiled.

"I stopped by the gift shop on my way up an' couldn't find anything appropriate for you, but I didn't find something for that little cutie that belongs to that big cutie Carla."

"That was really nice of you, Frankie."

The special effects man pulled a plastic box out of the bag and revealed it to the group. "It's a 'Get Well, Barbie' doll…think she'll like it?"

Hannibal spit out the water he just took a swig of, Murdock covered his mouth to hide his smile, and B.A. almost had to leave the room.

"What? What'd I miss?" Frankie asked in total confusion at the scene before him.

As for Face…he heaved a sigh, shook his head and then started to laugh with his family.

The End


End file.
